A macro is a set of instructions that can be executed inside one or more computer applications to provide enhanced and automatic interactivity with those applications, where at least part of the macro represents steps that could otherwise be taken manually by a user of an application. For example, a macro could be written so as to compute a value from certain numbers in a spreadsheet application and copy the value to a related word processing application on a desktop computer. A user could assign a “hot key” combination to the macro so that the macro can be run easily by the user simply by pressing the hot key combination. As another example, a macro could also be written to cause certain electronic messages (e.g., those from a spouse, client, or boss) to be elevated in importance so that they can be more easily seen by a user of a computing device. One familiar macro-based system is Visual Basic for Applications for the MICROSOFT OFFICE productivity suite.